Counselling Services
AIU London provides a professional Counselling/Psychotherapy service for students. This is part of our Duty of Care to all students and to the University as a whole.
AIU Counsellors/Therapists offer students the space and support to explore whatever issues are important to them. The sessions are Private and Confidential and free of charge. The Counselling Centre is on campus, located away from classrooms and staff working areas and with its own private entrance.
The professional Counsellors are particularly experienced in the care of university students. They know the university system and are integrated into university life. The Counsellors care for students with mental/emotional health problems. They can liaise with Staff and Faculty, with the student’s permission, regarding the impact these issues may have on their studies.
Students requesting or referred to counselling are invited to visit the Counselling Centre for an informal talk to assess their needs. The Counsellors usually see students on a short-term basis, for 6 sessions up to a term. This is reviewed on a termly basis. At times, just one initial assessment is all that is needed to help move things on. Counsellors can also make referrals to medical, psychological or psychiatric professionals.
Students come for counselling for many reasons. Living in London and managing the pressures of studies can be very stressful. Many students experience emotional, educational, psychological or social difficulties that interfere with their sense of well-being, their relationships, and their academic or professional achievement. This is where counselling can be really useful in identifying these issues and learning how to manage them.
Specific therapeutic approaches and techniques that the Counsellors may use:
- Time Management skills
- Stress Management
- "Third chair" work - a Psychodrama technique
- Images/symbols and drawing therapy
- Guided Visualisations — working through Unconscious material
- Dis-Identification exercises — learning how to observe yourself and to be in a place of choice
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Common reasons why students seek counselling:
stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, home sickness, adjustment to University life/London life, low self-esteem, cross-cultural tension, time management, alcohol/drug concerns, relationship dilemmas, identity issues, family problems, confusion/ frustration, eating disorders, bullying/discrimination, bereavement, lack of motivation.
Counselling provides students with the opportunity to talk and think about their situation with someone who is non-judgemental and open-minded.